Take Care of Me
by I.Am.Molly
Summary: A set of one-shots based around Penny and Leonard helping each other when they are in need of some T.L.C. Both chapters are separate from each other and both are equally fluffy :) Please read, review and most importantly enjoy!
1. The Man-Flu Occurrence

**The Man-Flu Occurrence**

Penny entered Leonard and Sheldon's apartment with ease, using the key that had been given to her. Sheldon had insisted when they had given her it, that it was only to be used in emergencies, and she was certain that her current situation fell under that category; she had left her phone charger in their apartment, and her battery was in the red. Yes, that was definitely an emergency.

She stepped inside the door, then gasped and jumped back in shock when she saw Leonard lying on the sofa. He wasn't supposed to be here, it was Wednesday and it had only just gone one o'clock; he was supposed to be at work.

"Jesus Leonard, you scared the crap out of me!" Penny said as she closed the door and took a few deep breaths to calm the adrenaline that was now chorusing throughout her body.

"You do realize this is my apartment?" Leonard replied groggily. "It's you that's breaking in."

"I left my phone charger here," Penny said holding up her phone, spotting instantly that something was wrong with him. She walked over to the couch, sat on the coffee table, and immediately saw how pale he looked and how puffy his eyes were. "Sweetie, are you okay? You don't look so good." She asked with concern at she put a hand out to his forehead. "Oh my God, you're burning up." She said when she felt the heat from his head and the few drops of sweat that had formed around his hairline.

"I'm sick." He said sadly. "There's a bug going around the university and I caught it. I went to the nurse at work and she told me to go home. So… here I am."

"Oh, honey." She said sympathetically, and then gave him a sweet smile, "Looks to me like you have a bad case of man flu."

"Man flu?"

"Uh huh." She said with a nod. "It's just like regular flu, except because you are a guy, it is much, much worse." She smiled, "I'd say that lots and lots of T.L.C and sympathy from Nurse Penny will help you get better in no time."

Leonard gave her a half smile, nodded and then let out a pathetic cough. "Yeah, I think you're right." Leonard stuck out his bottom lip and gave her the best puppy dog expression he could muster. "Will you take care of me Nurse Penny?"

Penny chuckled and gave his hot forehead a kiss before taking a hold of his hand. "Of course I will sweetie. Come on." She said as she led him out of his apartment and over to hers.

As soon as they were in Penny's apartment, she led him to the sofa where he lay down in the same way he had in his own apartment. Penny then headed to her bedroom and returned with two arms full of pillows and sheets.

"Oh my God." Leonard said with a chuckle as he noticed her struggle to manoeuvre herself around the apartment and over to the sofa.

Penny dumped the bundle on the floor, then rummaged through them until she had two pillows in her hand. "Okay, sit up and I will put these behind your head."

Leonard did what he was told and Penny put the pillows behind him before touching his shoulder to ease him back on to them. She then picked up the sheets from the floor, threw them over him and then tucked him tightly in.

"How's that?" Penny asked as she sat on the edge of the sofa and ran her hand through his hair.

"Great." He said quietly as he sunk his head further into the pillow.

Penny smiled and gave him another quick kiss on the forehead, before getting up and heading out of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Leonard asked.

"Just to your apartment. I forgot to get my charger and I need to get a few other things." She smiled and then grabbed the remote from the coffee table. "Here, you can have full reign over the television, watch whatever nerdy stuff you want." She giggled and put the remote in his hand and then headed over to his apartment.

Penny returned about fifteen minutes later to Leonard fast asleep on the sofa; he hadn't even bothered turning on the television. She gave him a sincere look of sympathy before letting out a whispered, "Aww." She quietly shut her door behind her and went to her bedroom to drop off the phone charger, box of tissues, Leonard's pyjamas, slippers and robe; that she had gotten from his apartment.

Leonard was awoken about an hour later, by the smell of food cooking around him. He opened his puffy eyes and tried to sit up but the movement made his muscles ache and he let out a quiet groan as he lay back on the pillows.

"Hey sleepyhead, you're up." Penny said from the kitchen when she saw him waking up. "Just in time too because Nurse Penny has made you some tea and soup."

Penny put the bowl of soup on a tray along with a boiling hot cup of Lemon and Honey tea. She sat the tray on the table while she helped him sit up, puffing up the pillows behind him so he was comfortable and sat the tray on his lap.

"I tink I'll hab to be sick more often." Leonard said, the short sleep making his chest and nose congested, altering his ability to speak properly. He took a hold of the cup of tea with both hands and brought it up to his nose. "Ahhh." He said with a goofy smile.

Penny giggled and touched his cheek, "You're so cute." She cooed, "Now eat up all your soup while I run you a nice hot bath."

"Mmkay." He replied as he cautiously sipped on his tea.

About ten minutes later Penny returned and sat on the arm of the sofa. "How's my sick little homunculus doing now?" She put her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"All done." He said as he lifted his empty bowl and let out a small cough. "Anb I told you bot to call me bat."

Penny smiled, "call you what?"

"Humbumbublus."

Penny couldn't hold in her laughter at his attempt at saying the word. "Okay sweetie, I won't call you a humbumbublus." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek when he looked at her with an unimpressed frown and moved the tray away from him. "Come on, your bath is getting cold."

Leonard obediently followed Penny to the bathroom, and began to shiver as his body adjusted to not having the blankets around him anymore.

Leonard grinned when he entered the bathroom and the scent of honey and lemon filled his senses, it was just like the tea, but much, much better. Penny helped him out of his clothes and into the bath that was full to the brim with boiling water and covered in bubbles.

"Oooh, bots bat I can beel?" He said as he slid his body under the water.

"Bath salts." She said as she crouched down and leant on the edge of the bath, "I bought a whole bunch a couple of days ago, they are so relaxing and since you are sick I figured they might help you out more than me."

"Awww." He said with a heartfelt smile.

Penny smiled and scrunched up her nose. "There are more over there," She pointed to the other side of the bath. "So you can put them in when those ones stop dissolving, if you want."

Leonard laid his head back against the tub and nodded. Penny stood up and was about to leave, "Bere are you goinb?" Penny looked at him blankly, then to the door and back to him. "Stay. Balk to be."

Penny grinned. "That's going to be hard when you are talking like that."

"I canb helb ib!" Leonard protested.

"I know sweetie." She said with a hint of a giggle as she sat down on the floor beside the tub, "but it's still funny."

Leonard took a handful of the bubbles that covered the bath, and threw them at Penny. "Hey!" She giggled as she jumped back, "You can't be mean to your nurse or else she will stop looking after you!"

"Boo bere beinb bean boo be." Leonard replied making Penny giggle even harder.

Leonard shook his head and smiled as he lay back in the tub again. Penny sat up on her knees, and leant over the tub to grab a handful of bubbles, which she then began to put around Leonard's jaw and hair. Once she was finished she broke out in giggles again, "You look like Santa Claus."

Leonard frowned, "I bink boo are baking adbanbage ob a sick berson."

"You're right, I'm sorry." She said, pouting her bottom lip.

"Boo are borbiben."

Penny grinned and shook her head slightly, trying her best not to laugh again. She put another bunch of bath salts in the water and watched as his face relaxed and his eyes closed.

Penny sat there for a few moments before walking out and bringing all the bed covers and pillows she had put on the sofa, back onto the bed. She laid out Leonard's pyjamas and sat the box of tissues on the table at his side of the bed, before filling up two hot water bottles and placing one under the covers at the bottom on the bed, and leaving the other one on the table, for Leonard to decide where to put it.

Penny headed back into the bathroom a while later, and smiled when she saw he was still as she left him. She knelt down in front of the bath again and touched his cheek to wake him up. He opened his puffy eyes and Penny tilted her head, "Sweetie, do you want to get out now? I have a feeling you might come out resembling a prune if you stay in there any longer."

He smiled and slowly nodded, the tiredness clearly showing in his face. Penny grabbed a towel and handed it to him as he carefully stepped out of the water. She led him out into the bedroom then helped him get dry and into his pyjamas, before directing him to the bed. She puffed up his mountain of pillows before getting changed herself and getting into bed beside him. It was only six o'clock, and she wasn't tired, but she didn't want to leave him on his own. She picked her laptop up off the floor and sat it beside her with the intention of watching something on it once Leonard had fallen asleep.

Leonard rolled onto his side, wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and rested his head on her chest. He sniffled and coughed while Penny ran her hands up and down his back, trying to soothe him into a deep sleep.

"Bere is by bone?" He asked.

"In the other room, why?"

"I beeb boo seb by alarmb for bork."

Penny took a second to understand what he had said, before shaking her head, "No you aren't going to work," Leonard was about to say something else, but Penny put a finger to his mouth. "I've already called and told them you aren't coming in, and I have already told Sheldon that I will be taking him to work tomorrow. He wasn't too pleased about it though, as you can imagine." She said with a smile.

Leonard looked up at her for a few seconds with a silly grin on his face. "If I basnb sick, I bould kiss bou right bow."

"I think I'll risk it," She said before giving him a kiss on the lips. "Now, go to sleep, honey."

Leonard nodded and rested his head back down on her chest as he tightened his hold around her. He focused his senses on the soothing feel of her moving her hand in circles on his back, before moving it up to run through his hair, gently massaging his scalp as she moved. It didn't take long for him to drift off, with one thought in his head; _I hope I don't get better any time soon._


	2. The Flying Shoe Incident

**This is all covetingaremedy's fault. I was quite happy with my one-shot, but noooo you have to plant the seed in my head and I had to add this chapter! Leonard's turn to take care of Penny. Hope you enjoy, and all you men out there, pay attention! haha :P **

* * *

**The Flying Shoe Incident**

No sooner had Penny slumped down in her sofa after a long, torturous lunch shift at The Cheesecake Factory, than she heard those three loud knocks on her door followed by the inevitable, "Penny." Penny growled and threw her head back against the sofa in frustration. The last thing she wanted right now was to talk to her crazy neighbour.

"Go away Sheldon!" She yelled through the door, although she needn't have bothered because she knew that it would make no difference, those three knocks would still come, and they did.

She growled a little louder after the second set of knocks, loud enough for him to hear, but he still knocked again.

"Oh for God's sake." She said under her breath. "What is it Sheldon?!" She yelled.

"Am I allowed to come in?" He asked through the door.

"YES!" She barked.

A few seconds later the door timidly opened and Sheldon walked in. "Leonard is out and I need to go to the comic book store." He stated.

"So?"

"So…. You need to take me to the comic book store."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do. It's an emergency," He said as he held up a comic. "I got the wrong one, I need to take it back and exchange it."

"I don't CARE Sheldon!" She said, emphasising the words with a growl that should have warned him that she wasn't in the mood for him.

"But Penny-"

"NO!"

"But-"

"Sheldon, if you don't leave my apartment in the next ten seconds I _will_ hurt you."

Sheldon stood silent for a few seconds before opening his mouth, "Bu-"

Penny quickly picked up her shoe that was sitting on the floor beside her and threw it at him. Luckily for Sheldon, his reactions were on point and he managed to escape the flying shoe by running out the apartment and closing the door, so that the only thing the shoe hit was the back of the door.

Penny let out a loud sigh and fell back onto the couch, resting her hand on her tender stomach, trying to soothe away the cramps that were causing her to be such a bitch.

Penny changed out of her uniform into her long pyjama bottoms and oversized grey Nebraska t-shirt. She threw her hair up into a loose bun with strands of her blonde hair falling on her face and a couple of hours later, while she was curled up on the sofa with a blanket covering her body and a hot water bottle on her stomach, there was a quiet knock on her door. She turned her attention from the television as she held her breath, waiting for another two knocks to follow and her name being called after that, but neither came and she sighed with relief.

"Come in." She said blankly, still not quite herself.

A few seconds later she saw the knob on her door slowly turn and frowned at the door as it slowly opened. The first thing she saw was a neon green light at the tip of her door and then a dark haired, bespectacled nerd popped his head through the door.

"Is it safe?" Leonard asked with complete seriousness.

Penny just glared at him as he cautiously stepped into the apartment wielding his green lightsaber. He looked around the room as if he was expecting something to jump out at him.

"What are you doing?" Penny asked.

"This is a hostile environment miss, I am just checking for any shoes that are around and may come flying at me."

Penny huffed and shook her head. "Leonard relax I won't throw anything at you."

Leonard narrowed his eyes and looked at her for a few seconds, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you can put the lightsaber away." She grumbled before turning her attention back to the television.

"Okay," He said as he shut it down and sat it beside the door.

"What do you want Leonard?" Penny asked in frustration, not in any kind of mood to see anyone, even him.

"Well," He said as he walked out the apartment door and returned with a grocery bag in hand, ignoring her abrupt tone of voice since he knew the reason for it. "I was at the store and got a call from Sheldon who said that you threw a shoe at him." Penny opened her mouth to begin to tell him her reasons, but he held a hand up and shook his head. "You don't need to explain why, because Sheldon told me the reason for that too. You see when he returned home he checked his calendar and saw the little sad face that was on yesterday's date and blamed himself for not noticing it before he went over to see you."

Penny just looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"The little sad face means that you are menstruating." He said simply and Penny looked at him in horror.

"What? He keeps track!?"

Leonard tilted his head at her as if to say 'really?', "Sheldon keeps track of his own bodily functions, are you really surprised he keeps track of this too?" Penny huffed and rolled her eyes. "So anyway, I remember you once told me that the first day is the worst," He said as he walked towards the kitchen and sat the grocery bag on the counter. "And that there were only two men who would be able to make you feel better," He smiled as Penny frowned at him, waiting to see where he was going. He put his hand into the bag, "Ben and Jerry." He said with a grin as he pulled out a huge tub of ice cream and Penny's eyes lit up and a grin spread over her face.

Leonard chuckled, "Yeah that's what I thought would happen." He said as he put one tub on the counter followed by a couple more. "I wasn't sure what kind you liked so I just bought a whole bunch. I also got a few bags of chips, chocolate, fizzy juice aaaaannnd," He said as he dug out the last few items in the bag, "I rented some sappy love story DVD's." He grinned with satisfaction as Penny's smile somehow grew wider and she got up from the sofa and stood opposite him at the counter, studying the items he had just pulled out. "And all of this comes with a handsome, nerdy boyfriend who is willing to do whatever you want him to do to make you feel better." He leaned across the counter and smiled as he looked into her eyes.

All frustration she had felt earlier was temporarily gone and she copied his movements, meeting him halfway in the middle of the counter. "This is awesome Leonard, thank you." She said quietly before giving him a kiss on the lips.

"There is only one rule though," Leonard said when he pulled away from her and began to put away the ice cream.

"What's that?" She asked as she opened the bag of chips.

"No shoe throwing. I can't have you messing up this cute little face." He said with a grin as he motioned to his face with his finger.

Penny giggled and nodded, "Okay." She said before stuffing her face with chips.

"Good girl." He said with a smile and began to put the rest of the chips into a big bowl before handing them back to her. Penny headed back to the sofa and sat the big bowl on the coffee table. "Leonaaard?" Penny whined, "Can you refill this for me, please?" She said as she held up the hot water bottle. He nodded and turned on the kettle before going over and taking the hot water bottle from her hands.

A few minutes later he headed over to the sofa with the boiling hot water bottle in one hand and a tub of ice cream and spoon in the other. "So, what do you want to do first then?"

* * *

"Um, who are these people again?" Leonard asked a few hours later. He was sitting on the sofa, with Penny's head on his lap. She was lying on her back with her head tilted towards the television. The half empty bowl of chips was sitting beside her and her hands were resting on top of Leonard's left hand that was sitting under her t-shirt just below her naval.

"The Kardashians."

"Hmmm." Leonard said with a furrowed brow as he began to stroke her hair with his right hand. "And they all have names beginning with K?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"I dunno." Penny said with a shrug.

"And who is he?" Leonard asked when someone he hadn't yet seen on the show popped up.

"That's Kim's husband Kris."

"With a K?"

"Yeah." Penny giggled, "But she isn't married to him anymore."

"Oh, but I'm sure you told me she was pregnant."

"She is, but not by him."

"By who then?"

"Kanye West." Penny said then looked up at his confused face. "He's a rapper."

"Oh," He said with a nod. "How old are these episodes?"

"Hmm, about two years, maybe less." She said as she turned back to the television.

"So she got married and separated, then got pregnant by someone else, all in the space of less than two years?"

Penny giggled, "Yeah, its Hollywood sweetie, it happens."

Leonard moved his left hand from her stomach to turn her face back towards him. "It happens?" He said and Penny nodded. "So, when you become a famous actress, you are going to get a reality show, dump me and get pregnant by some rapper?"

Penny smiled and nodded, "Pretty much." She said before taking a hold of his hand and giving it a kiss. "Just kidding, you brought me Ben and Jerrys sweetie, you aren't going anywhere."

Penny's smiled faded into a frown as she let out a small growl of discomfort and shivered. She then took Leonard's hand away from her face and placed it back on her stomach.

"Here." He said as he pulled the blanket off of the back of the sofa and put it around her to stop her from shivering.

The blanket didn't stay around her for long though, before she knew it she was boiling hot again and she shuffled the blanket down her body and left it at her feet. Leonard rubbed her stomach gently, "Do you want more ice cream."

"Mmhmm," She said with a sad nod. "And can you get me some pain relief tablets from the cupboard too? Please?"

Leonard let out a slight giggle as he stood up, forcing Penny to sit upwards, "Jesus Penny it's only some cramps, it can't be that bad."

Penny simply glared at him, "Do you want to be hit with a shoe?"

"You hit me with your shoe and I'll leave, then there will be no-one here to take care of you." He said looking back at her.

"Alright then," She said glumly when he returned to her. She took the tablets he gave her with some water and then began to dig into her ice cream. "Do you want some?" She asked as she put some ice cream on the spoon and held it in front of him.

"Do you want me to blow up like a balloon?"

"Oh yeah, lactose, I forgot." She said, still holding the spoon out in front of him. She then grinned as a mischievous thought came into her head and she moved the spoon towards his face, putting the ice cream on his nose and she broke out in fits of giggles, finding it incredibly funny.

Leonard grinned and moved towards her but she moved back away from him, still giggling. He reached out, grabbed a hold of her waist and squeezed her sides causing her to squirm and laugh as she tried to get him off of her, all the while holding tightly on to her ice cream and spoon.

"Leonard!" She said between giggles, "Stop, it's… ow, ow!" She squirmed some more and giggled until he finally stopped and touched his nose against hers, covering it with ice cream like his was. Penny kissed the ice cream off his nose before wiping it off of her own.

"Can we watch a movie now?" She said once she had calmed down and resumed her position across the sofa with her head on his lap, although this time she was lying on her stomach with her hot water bottle under her. Her arms were crossed in front of her and her head was resting on top of them, tilted towards the television, while Leonard's hand gently rubbed the bottom of her back.

Penny picked out a movie to watch and found herself in tears almost the whole way through the movie. Leonard tried to comfort her by gently stroking his hand over her back but she continued to cry. He stared at the television with a frown, trying to figure out what it was she was actually crying about since this wasn't really a sad film, but he just couldn't figure it out.

"Nobody puts baby in the corner." Penny mumbled along with the movie through her sad sobs. Leonard's frown was frozen on his face as he watched the rest of the film while he rubbed her back and she sobbed.

Eventually the movie finished and Penny turned her head towards him. "How can you not cry at this?" She sobbed.

"It's not sad Penny."

"Yes it is." She said as she turned her body around so she was facing up at him. Leonard wiped away the last remnants of her tears and found himself smiling at her sad and tired expression.

"Do you want to go to bed sweetheart?"

Penny frowned and shifted her weight in discomfort before giving him a sad nod.

"Come on then." He said as he put his arm under her knee and the other under her neck.

"Are you going to carry me?" She asked with a grin.

"Yeah, well, I _am_ the muscle in this group." He said and Penny tilted her head in confusion at him. "Did I not tell you that story?" He asked and she shook her head. "Never mind, I'll tell you later." He bent down to give her a kiss on the lips. "Okay, hold onto my neck." Penny wrapped her arms around him and squealed as he lifted her up and walked her to her bed. He dropped her at her side of the bed then left the room to get her hot water bottle and gave it to her, before stripping down to his boxers and t-shirt and got in bed beside her.

Penny lay on her back with her hot water bottle under her, and Leonard scooted close to her and lay on his side facing her. "Is it still sore honey?" He asked as he noticed her pained expression. She simply nodded and he once again moved his hand to her stomach, gently rubbing away the pain as he closed his eyes and unconsciously hummed a familiar tune.

"Leonard? Are you humming 'Soft Kitty'?" She asked with a smile and a hint of a giggle.

"No." Leonard said defiantly as he stopped humming.

"Yes you were!" She said excitedly as she turned to face him and Leonard shook his head, becoming a little embarrassed.

"It's a force of habit." He said sadly and Penny just smiled. "I'm so used to singing it to Sheldon when he is sick."

Penny reached her hand out to his face and stroked his cheek. "Keep on humming it, it's relaxing." She said before giving him a quick kiss and turning to lie on her back again, holding his hand against her stomach as he hummed softly in her ear and she drifted off to sleep.


End file.
